Lesson plan

Big Numbers!
Topic
Big numbers

Aims
• To help students say big numbers correctly
• To help students understand big numbers correctly
• To develop students’ speaking and listening skills

Age group
Adults

Level
Lower intermediate B1

Time
60 + minutes

Materials
• Bis Numbers student worksheet

Introduction
Lots of our students have problems with big numbers. Sometimes they don’t know where to say
‘and’. Sometimes they confuse numbers like ‘sixteen’ and ‘sixty’. In this lesson students revise big
numbers in a fun way. First they play a guessing game, then they play Bingo! They finish with a
pair work jigsaw reading activity.

Procedure
1. Lead- in: Big • Draw this picture of a safe (below) on the board, building the picture up
numbers slowly, line by line.

• As you are drawing each part of the safe, ask students to speculate what you
are drawing.
 Lesson plan

• When a student guesses correctly, tell the student that there is a lot of money
inside the safe and whoever is able to guess the amount, wins the money!

• Think of a large sum of money and write it on a piece of paper without

showing the students – e.g. . £123, 456

• Draw these numbers on the board. Elicit each number from a different
student. As the numbers get bigger, help by drawing a ‘+’ in the number to
indicate ‘and’. E.g 9+99 = nine hundred and ninety-nine:

9
99
999
9,999
99,999
999,999

• Elicit any wild guess from a student. Respond by saying ‘more’ or ‘less’. Elicit
guesses from students around the class, responding with ‘more’ or ‘less’ each
time until somebody guesses correctly.

• Put students into groups of three to play the game. One student writes a large
number (up to 1,000,000) and hides it from the others. The other two students
take turns trying to guess the big number They play the game a few times
changing roles each time. Monitor the students while they play, referring them
to the board if necessary.

2. Task 1: Bingo! • Hand out task 1 (the grid of numbers).

• Tell students to choose nine of the big numbers and write them in a Bingo!
Grid (3 x 3 squares)

• Read the numbers clearly in random order, pausing between each number to
give students to find it on their Bingo! Grid – but don’t make it too easy! Mark
each number with an ‘X’ as you call it out.

• Students listen and play Bingo! The student who calls Bingo! has to read out
each of their numbers for you to check. Check pronunciation here
 Lesson plan
• If you want to play again, get students to draw and complete a new grid with
numbers then read the numbers in a different order.

3. Task 2: Facts • Put students into pairs, A and B. Give each student a copy of Task 2 (A) or
and figures Task 2 (B).
around the
world – jigsaw • Students spend a few minutes looking at the information that is missing from
reading their texts. They think of the questions they will need to ask in order to get the
information.

• Students take turns, asking and answering questions to complete the

information in their texts.

• Write this prompt on the board to help students formulate their questions:

How (long/ high) is XXX? How far is XXX from XXX?

Contributed by
Katherine Bilsborough